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Behind The Wrap
Technical insights and behind-the-scenes expertise from the Rhino Shrink Wrap team.
Using Shrink Wrap for Modular Building Protection
Shrink Wrap is becoming an increasingly popular product for modular building protection. Be it modular homes, modular bathroom pods or modular offices, shrink wrap is more and more being used to protect modules for transportation and storage. Thanks to its ruggedness and tight fit, shrink wrap will not detach or flap even at high wind speeds, allowing for peace of mind that your modules will be kept safe at all times. Conventionally, when modules are being transported from factory to site or being stored for a long period of time, tarpaulin or a reusable sheeting is used. These types of modular protection work to a certain extent; however, these can often require regular maintenance and can be damaged fairly easily meaning that they have to be replaced. Another common issue with reusable sheeting is when modules have been transported to site, the reusable sheeting has to be removed from the modules and then transported back to the factory which often never happens, resulting in wasted resources. In comparison, shrink wrap has a smart and professional appearance and keeps modules hidden from view whilst also allowing for possible branding opportunities. Shrink wrap once fitted, also requires no maintenance and can be cut from the modules directly on site. Whilst shrink wrap is not reusable, it is recyclable meaning it is much more environmentally friendly than traditional protection methods. There are two different ways in which shrink wrap can be fitted to modular buildings: Total Encapsulation Total encapsulation is where the shrink wrap film fully encompasses the module being wrapped. This is done by laying a ‘footprint’ of the film underneath the module and then lifting the module onto the shrink wrap. Shrink wrap sheeting is then unrolled over the roof of the module, cut and then unfolded down each side. The shrink wrap sheeting is then shrunk along each side and then welded at each end where the top sheet meets the bottom sheet. The shrink wrap sheeting then pulls drum tight. Sides Only Sides only is where only the open sides of a module requires sheeting. This is done by using timber battening in a ‘picture frame’ fashion around the module edge. Once the timber batten has been fitted, the shrink wrap is then hung using another run of timber batten to tightly trap the shrink wrap. The entire sheet can then be shrunk, which pulls the shrink wrap drum tight. Whilst 300-micron flame retardant shrink wrap material is used more commonly on scaffolding projects, for modular protection Rhino’s 200-micron or a 250-micron thick industrial shrink wrap material tends to be better suited. Our industrial material comes in a variety of different widths, ranging from 8m wide up to a mammoth 16m wide! No matter what size modules you have, we have a wrap suitable for your needs. All of our industrial wraps come in 50m lengths, which means you can generally get a number of modules wrapped from just one roll! If you have any questions or comments regarding using shrink wrap for modular building protection, we are always happy to help so please feel free to get in touch. If you find this information useful, and think others might too, please share. Want to find out more? Why not read our shrink wrap buying guide?
Can Shrink Wrap Provide Noise Reduction On Construction Sites?
This week I was contacted by a scaffolding company looking for a shrink wrap scaffold sheeting that will reduce building work noise escaping from a construction site and disturbing people working nearby. Their customer is a TV studio and they do not want any noise from building work taking place on site affecting the operations of the studio. The scaffolders asked me if Rhino could supply a noise reducing shrink wrap. Requests for noise reducing shrink wrap are fairly frequent, and certainly Monarflex have sold a noise reducing scaffold sheeting for some years now. However, there seems to be some confusion surrounding noise reducing or ‘acoustic insulating’ scaffold sheeting, probably caused by hard to understand terminology and the way that the test results from noise reducing products are presented. So, can shrink wrap provide noise reduction? Well…yes it can but it is not the only option and this short guide outlines the other sound absorbing products we supply (and install) to reduce the impact of construct site noise. Noise reducing shrink wrap Any type of sheeting hung around the scaffolding will reduce noise ‘breakout’ on construction sites. For most jobs a 7m wide x 15m long, 300 micron thick shrink wrap will provide a sound reduction of 5 Decibels (dB). However, where noise reduction is of particular concern, our 500 micron ‘noise reduction’ sheeting will achieve an 8dB reduction. 500 micron sheeting is supplied as a 3m wide x 20m long roll which weighs 516g / m2 or 31 Kg a roll. ‘Breakout’ noise often comes from from gaps in the scaffold sheeting installation and this is one big advantage of shrink wrap – because it can cover up to 3 scaffold lifts per drop and because any joints are heat welded, it is quite easy to create a continuously bonded skin around the project without holes or gaps. Typical cost – from £3.50/m2 Advantages: low cost, little or no gaps to allow ‘breakout’ noise Disadvantages: Not re-usable. Monarflex ‘Monarsound’ scaffold sheeting Monarsound is Monarflex’s acoustic insulating scaffold sheeting. It consists of the familiar LDPE encapsulating a polyester grid for weather protection combined with a10mm thick sound absorbing foam. Attached using bungee ties like traditional Monarflex scaffold sheeting, Monarsound noise reducing sheeting is typically supplied as a 2.25m wide x 10m long roll which weighs 600g / m2 or 13.5Kg / roll which is used to cover the scaffolding ‘lift by lift’. Noise reducing Monarflex is specified to reduce construction noise by 19dB. Typical costs – from £13.00/m2 Advantages: Mid-price / mid performance Disadvantages: Bulky to transport / store Acoustic insulating panels Another option for scaffolders and contractors is the acoustic insulating or ‘sound absorbing’ panel. These flexible panels are typically manufactured from a heavy duty flame retardant PVC and generally offer the highest level of noise reduction performance. In addition they are designed to be re-used multiple times and can be supplied in a wide variety of colours, that can even be custom branded with a contractors logo etc. Panel systems are generally multi purpose, i.e can be attached to ‘Heras’ fencing panels and/or scaffolding. Scaffold system manufacturers have developed their own noise reduction products – as Layher’s. However a number of generic systems have been developed. One such system is Silensite’s Acoustic Barrier. Like Monarflex’s Monarsound this product is cable tied or bungeed to the scaffolding lift by lift, with each panel overlapping to prevent any holes or gaps which will let noise escape. Silentsite Acoustic Barrier is supplied as a 2m high x 1.2m wide panel. Tested to BS-5228-2:2009 and EN ISO 11654:1997 they are specified to reduce construction site noise by up to 32 Decibels (dB). Typical costs – Unlike shrink wrap or Monarflex, these products can either be purchased outright or rented. From £55/m2 for outright purchase. Advantages: Highest levels of performance, re-usable, custom branding, van be purchased outright or hired. Disadvantages: Not suitable for scaffolds with many protrusions. In summary, construction sites can generate high levels of noise that can disturb nearby residents and businesses. Reducing the noise ‘at source’ is the best option and local authorities will usually impose restrictions on noisy work outside of certain hours. However, additional noise reduction may be required and can even form part of the planning permission in some areas. Shrink wrap sheeting can provide some noise reduction but Rhino supply (and install if necessary) a range of options to suit the application and budget. If you have an issue with ‘construction noise’ call our friendly team on 01477 532222 and we will be pleased to help.
Do scaffold shrink wrap installers deserve more recognition?
I’ve just spent a few days on The Shetland Islands shrink wrapping a scaffolding with two very experienced installers and it reminded me of the skill and hard work needed to get a scaffold shrink wrapped successfully. Ten years or so ago I was ‘on the tools’ quite regularly, but as the business has grown, I’ve spent much more time behind a desk pricing jobs, so I felt a bit apprehensive getting out there. However, after spending nearly a week working with Kris and Danny from Rhino Shrink Wrap I realised that I’d forgotten the skill and effort needed to carry out a scaffold shrink wrapping to a high standard. OK, I admit that basic shrink wrap skills – heat welding two pieces of shrink wrap together to make a join and shrinking the sheet ‘drum tight’ are not exactly ‘rocket science’ – most people can weld and shrink sheeting after some brief instruction. However, putting those skills into practice on a real scaffolding project on a busy construction site is another thing altogether – it’s not just a question of hanging the shrink wrap sheeting and hoping for the best! Here are a few of the things that I ‘re-learnt’(!) from my week at the ‘sharp end’….. Planning a sequence of work is hard, especially when taking account the constantly changing weather conditions. With ‘traditional’ scaffold sheeting systems such as ‘Monarflex’ 2-3 metre wide strips of sheeting are hung and bungeed around the scaffolding ‘lift by lift’. There is not much variability to the installation process and so it doesn’t require a great amount of thought or planning. With shrink wrap, there are so many more ways it can be installed depending on the requirements of the customer – Is this for temporary weather protection or complete encapsulation & containment? Shall we drop the sheeting 1,2 or 3 scaffold lifts? Shall we just cap the roof & sheet the sides separately or do we cover the roof and come down the sides in one go? Which way can I hang this 7m x 15m roll to avoid wasting materials or creating lots unnecessary welds and joins? With most projects you need to plan ahead but with shrink wrap sheeting it is a much more ‘dynamic’ situation – with the changing weather affecting plans – If the wind is forecast to increase later from the South lets hang these larger sheets on this side of the building now, and we’ll move on to the smaller sections on the sheltered side of the building later on…. It’s not just hanging the sheets of course. When the winds are light, or when shrink wrapping indoors, shrink wrapping is straightforward. One sheet can be left clipped in place whilst the next is worked on. However, when the wind rises, the skills of the installer are demonstrated. In particular, heat shrinking becomes a delicate technique – gradually heating the sheet bit by bit in small areas, and so starting the shrink process, but not heating the sheeting so much that the wind blows the sheeting out into a bubble, (sometimes known as ‘spot shrinking’) is a delicate skill. In an ideal world, the scaffold structure will be square & flush. In the real world, however, things are a little more challenging; there are protruding transoms, handrails or boards, awkward shapes and ‘add ons’ such as towers, roofs and canopies. Planning the installation of sheeting around these complications, to complete a job rapidly and without waste – and keeping it looking tidy can be hard and experience really makes a difference. And all of these challenges are set against travelling between sites, early starts and late finishes, pressures from clients to complete as rapidly as possible, often on large, high profile construction sites with multiple trades working alongside. Just getting the shrink wrap, gas cylinders and equipment to the work face – hauling up ladders, crouching under low lifts, squeezing past internal braces can be difficult. Despite this, the installers remain upbeat and professional and take great pride in their work. And it’s not just our teams. Over the past 20 years I’ve seen the world of scaffold shrink wrap grow and grow. I estimate that there are probably 75-100 ‘specialist’ shrink wrappers employed day to day in the UK but there are many more, perhaps 500-1000 occasional wrappers, mostly scaffolders who have been trained in the shrink wrap installation process by Rhino and others. After a week of starting & finishing work in darkness, battling the weather and hauling materials and equipment all over scaffolding I appreciate getting behind the desk again. However, I’ve been left with a feeling that it might be time that the skills of hard working installers of shrink wrap sheeting were recognised as an official ‘trade’. What do you think? Maybe get in touch and let me know your thoughts. Perhaps we can make this happen…..
Use a Shrink Wrap Installer or Do It Myself?
Should I Bring Shrink Wrapping ‘In-House’ or use a Specialist Installer? This article covers some of the things you might want to think carefully about before you invest money in shrink wrapping materials, equipment and training for your team. We then look at the typical costs of materials and how much scaffold shrink wrap installers typically charge, so you can get a feel for the ‘business case’ of incorporating shrink wrapping into the services you offer your customers. Finally we will look at how to get started, from buying your first ‘start up kit’ of materials and equipment to getting some training to enable you to start off on the right foot. Questions to ask if you’re considering setting up a shrink wrap installation service Shrink wrapping is a profitable service and being able to offer a product to your customers with additional benefits over and above traditional style scaffold sheeting is a great way to differentiate your company from other scaffolders in your area. However, it isn’t for everyone. Before you go ahead and set up your scaffold shrink wrapping service, here are a few questions to consider. Have you got the right ‘type’ of customers? The first thing to consider is who are the typical clients that you carry out work for? If you are mostly carrying out domestic scaffolding around private homes or for relatively short term projects then shrink wrapping may not be the right product for your customers. These types of projects tend to require a fairly basic level of temporary weather protection. The only exception to this tends to be projects on large domestic properties in high profile areas where a tight and smart appearance is required. Have you got the right projects? From our own experience carrying out the encapsulation of scaffolding for temporary weather protection or environmental containment, the benefits that shrink wrap brings tend to be appreciated by larger scaffolding projects at the ‘industrial’ end of the market. So, if you’ve ever: Erected a scaffolding around a bridge to enable blasting or painting works A screen inside a factory to prevent dust entering a production area Set up a scaffolding in an exposed location where failure of the sheeting would be serious – such as trackside, power stations or airports Then you will be working on the type of projects where encapsulating the scaffold with a shrink wrap sheeting can bring benefits to your customers. Can you sell the benefits of scaffold shrink wrap to your customers? In summary, although the appearance is great, shrink wrap sheeting is designed for challenging applications that require a very high level of weather protection to appreciate the benefits. So if not, they customer usually won’t be prepared to pay any more than they do for standard traditional style scaffold sheeting. The main benefits of scaffold shrink wrap are; Extremely drum tight; and molded fit around the scaffolding – unlikely to detach in high winds Heat sealed joints between sheets – highly effective for containment of dust and other contaminants. Extremely smart and professional appearance. Have you got the time to learn? Secondly, have you got the time to deal with the inevitable learning curve that comes from taking on a new product or service? Shrink wrapping is not like traditional style scaffold sheeting which is fitted on a lift by lift basis. Scaffold shrink wrap is a versatile product that can be used in many different ways. Although we try and cover as much during training as possible, inevitably a certain amount of learning has to come from ‘on the job’ real world experience. Do these projects come along on a regular basis to justify the cost? Like many things, to get really good at installing shrink wrap sheeting, it takes practice, patience and experience. If your team is only required to shrink and wrap a scaffolding every 6 months, they’ll probably not get enough practice and gradually forget the skills they were trained in. In this scenario, it’s probably best to use a specialist scaffold shrink wrap installation company. Why you should start a scaffold shrink wrap service If your customers are demanding more from the sheeting than you can achieve with traditional style scaffold sheeting for example: they want much higher levels of environmental containment for their projects. If you regularly need to replace traditional style scaffold sheeting after it’s been blown off by high winds If you’re looking for innovative new products to offer to customers that help differentiate you from the competition in your area. What should I charge for a scaffold shrink wrapping service? Although prices may vary, most specialists charge around from £6/m2 to supply and fix scaffold sheeting to a scaffolding facade. This rate is very much average. Small jobs (less than 100 square meters) may command a higher price. Temporary roofs from £9/m2. Internal projects, such as factory screens, where installation speed is unaffected by the weather, may be offered at a lower rate. A rate of £6-£8/m2 probably covers the majority of shrink wrap installations. However, it’s worth re-iterating this is not a great solution for customers with restricted budgets for scaffold sheeting. Although, when compared to the more traditional alternatives, the cost is actually very similar! OK, so you have customers with the types of projects that would really benefit from shrink wrap sheeting, you have a basic understanding of the business model and how to create a profitable line of business for your company? How do you get started? How do I get started? Get the right materials and tools. Getting started is as simple as choosing a supplier and getting some materials and equipment. We believe our own materials are the best quality and easiest to work with, however we always recommend doing your own research. Typical start up kit: 1x 7m x 15m 300 Micron Shrink Wrap Roll, Flame Retardant to EN13501 1x Reusable Clips – (box of 100) 1x Heat Gun with Hose + Regulator 1x Welding Gloves 1x Stanley FATMAX Retractable Twin Blade Knife 3x Patch Tape Rolls Scaffold Shrink Wrap Start Up Kit – £647 Get some training! In summary we can either provide training on a ‘training structure’ at our very own yard in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire or we can provide training to your team on a ‘live job’. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, but prices start from £695 for a ‘hands on’ course, although now we even offer virtual training for just £495!
What Is The Typical Installation Rate For Scaffold Shrinkwrap?
How many square metres of scaffold shrinkwrap can be installed per day? We generally advise that an area of 100 square metres per man per day is a realistic rate for the installation of shrinkwrap sheeting for scaffolding encapsulation & containment. However, the area of shrink wrap that can be installed in a day may be significantly more or less than 100m2 per day. This article explores some of the factors that affect the installation rate to help you judge how long the installation process might take for your project. Working Indoors or Outdoors? Working on an indoor shrink wrap projects such as temporary factory partitions can enable daily rates in excess of 100 square metres per day. This is because, with no wind loadings to consider, sheeting can be hung to the full extent of it’s 15 metre drop before it is attached back to the scaffolding structure. This means less time consuming welding and joining of sheets. Of course, not every internal partition means high daily installation rates. There may be multiple pipe protrusions or roof beams protruding through the shrink wrap sheeting that requires the shrink wrap to be cut around beams and re-welded. Weather Conditions The weather can have a big impact on the rate that shrink wrap sheeting can be fixed to scaffolding structures. Although light rain is generally not a problem, creating welded joints between sheets can start to become difficult when the sheeting is very wet. Installing shrink wrap over temporary roofs should particularly be avoided in wet conditions. We generally advise that you do not start fixing sheeting to a temporary roof unless you can entirely finish (weld & shrink) that section. Windy conditions can slow up the installation rate of shrink wrap sheeting. Unrolling and attaching the sheeting is slower as it is only possible to work on smaller sections at a time. Shrinking sheeting in windy conditions is much slower as the installer must heat a much smaller area and wait for it to shrink before moving the heat gun over the next area. You can see the technique for shrinking scaffold wrap in this video. Side elevations or roofs? Side elevations will be much faster to encapsulate than roofs. It is also worth bearing in mind that some sites are just slower to work on. If it takes 30 minutes to return from the break area or get materials to the working area then productive working hours can be vastly reduced. For a case study where access was difficult click here. Temporary roofs may see daily shrink wrap installation rates less than 100 square metres per day. Main reasons for this is that unless the temporary roof is fully boarded, operatives must use harnesses and life lines which makes moving around the surface of the roof slower. It can also be more awkward to get the materials to the work area and installing a roof sheet involves extra processes such as fixing battens. Flush Scaffolding or Protrusions? Apart from having a huge impact on the appearance of your shrink wrap scaffold sheeting, a scaffolding with lots of protruding ledgers, transoms, handrails, boards etc will slow up the daily installation rate. It will be hard to get the sheeting straight and although cutting around protruding tubes is a relatively quick process, resealing and taping around tubes can be time consuming. Alternatively, a flush scaffolding with dedicated sheeting rails can make the daily installation rate much faster. For more information and advice on setting up a scaffold structure for shrink wrapping click here. The amount of shrink wrap sheeting that can be installed in a day has an affect on the price. For more information on shrink wrap pricing / costing factors click here.
What Materials Are Required To Shrink Wrap a Scaffold?
Scaffold Wrapping Materials Considering buying scaffold shrink wrap materials and equipment for the first time? This article explores the essential materials and equipment you will need to get started providing shrink wrapped temporary weather protection that will not cause problems by blowing off from the scaffolding. This article explores what you should look out for and how to negotiate the best deal from your supplier. Although there are specialist contractors who provide a full ‘supply and fix’ shrink wrapping service, many scaffolders and construction contractors also buy scaffold shrink wrap materials to install using their own teams. Scaffold Shrink Wrapping Materials & Equipment ’Start Up Kit’ The essential start up kit for encapsulating a scaffold with shrink wrap sheeting is; Shrink Wrap – Typically 7m wide x 15m long roll. Divide the square meterage of the area to be covered by 90 to calculate the number of rolls you will need for your project. We supply Rhino Verisafe® 7m x 15m at £186 / roll or £1.77 / m2 for a 300 micron thickness, flame retardant roll. Hot Air Gun – Expect to pay from £395 for a ready to use shrink wrap gun kit including hose, regulator and case. Clips – Box of 100 clips (re-usable) – £95 / box Patch Tape – 100mm wide x 33m long roll in white – £9.95 / roll. Using a good quality shrink wrap will minimise the amount of tape you need. 1 roll of tape per roll of shrink wrap sheeting is a good ‘rule of thumb’. Optional Training – Typically £595 / day. Although as many people For more in depth information on buying your first start up kit of materials and equipment for scaffold shrink wrapping read on….. Shrink Wrap Supplied as a 7m wide x 15m long roll, (105 square metres per roll), weighing around 30Kg. The shrink wrap sheeting is generally folded down on to a roll that is 1.8m long for transport. Shrink wrap for scaffolds is generally supplied in white but your supplier may be able to provide a scaffold shrink wrap in clear if you require. Although a 7 metre wide shrink wrap film has become the most common size for scaffolds, you may see a 12 metre wide scaffold shrink wrap film offered by some suppliers. Whilst a 12 metre wide shrink wrap can be useful for some applications (such as temporary roofs) the extra roll weight (nearly 55Kg) makes it more awkward to handle on site and it may not be as easy to shrink as tightly as a 7 metre wide wrap. Flame retardant shrink wrap has become the standard for scaffold sheeting applications. Your sheeting should be accredited flame retardant to EN13501 as standard but some construction sites will require that any temporary protection materials are certified flame retardant to the more extensive LPS1207 and LPS1215 flame retardant standard. Using a shrink wrap film that is not flame retardant to the requirements laid down by a construction site might lead to the insurance cover being invalid in the event of a fire. The shrink wrap sheeting is the most important element of a shrink wrap encapsulation and containment project and so it is important to get it ‘right’. The challenge when buying shrink wrap film is that different brands look almost identical when they are folded on the roll; you will only notice the difference when you are using it on the job and by that time it is too late to change. Supplier’s only publish the best pictures of shrink wrapped buildings on their website! Even the worst film will be OK if installed on a calm day and may even look pretty good immediately after installation. However, the real test of a scaffold wrap film is what the encapsulation looks like in 1 or 2 months and that is when the quality makes a difference. Unfortunately, the only way to be sure you are buying the right product is to do your homework – read the supplier’s website, ignore the bland sales messages and self promotion and choose a supplier who presents and unbiased view of their products. For an in depth article on shrink wrap quality click here. How To Order Shrink Wrap Rolls Most suppliers will offer a discount on shrink wrap film at the pallet quantity. For a 7 x 15m roll which weighs around 32Kg, the pallet quantity will be around 30 rolls. Try and order sufficient materials to complete the job. Although there is theoretically 105 square metres of shrink wrap sheeting on every roll, you should budget for getting around 90 square metes of sheeting after allowing for overlaps and offcuts. The size and weight of shrink wrap rolls means that they are generally shipped on a wooden pallet. This is great for delivering orders weighing up to 1000Kg but can be expensive for smaller orders. If you require just 1 or 2 rolls ask your supplier if they can deliver them via a courier as this will save you money on your delivery. Clips The metal clips are used to temporarily hold the shrink wrap sheeting in position before it is welded / joined back on to itself. They are re-usable and so long as they are deigned to fit around a standard scaffold pole. In our experience there is not much difference between the clips available from different suppliers so get the best deal you can. Clips are normally supplied as a box of 100 but if you are just getting started, ask your supplier to break a box for your start up kit and just get 50. Shrink Wrap Repair Tape Typically supplied as a 100mm wide x 33m long roll. The shrink wrap repair tape or patch tape as it is sometimes known is usually supplied in white to make any repairs as ‘invisible’ as possible. However, if you are using a clear shrink wrap film, then you should ask for a clear shrink wrap repair tape. Using a good quality scaffold shrink wrap film will minimise the amount of tape you need but some tape is always needed for repairing small holes or sealing the shrink wrap where protrusions pass through the shrink wrap film. The tape that you use should have a high tack adhesive that will stick to the scaffold shrink wrap film in all weathers and temperatures. A ‘pinked’ edge to to the tape can make the tape easier to tear by hand but this is not absolutely essential. Shrink Wrapping Hot Air Gun The essential piece of equipment for scaffold shrink wrapping is the propane gas shrink wrapping heat gun. This tool connects to a cylinder of propane gas via a 8 or 10m hose. A regulator on the gas bottle supplies the gas at the required pressure and also provides a safety cut out should the hose be cut, to prevent the gas escaping. The shrink wrapping heat gun is not a specialist tool just used for the shrink wrapping of scaffolding. It is most commonly used for the shrink wrapping of plastic film around pallets and so can be found in thousands of factories around the UK. Neverthless, if you are looking at purchasing a ‘start up kit’ for scaffold shrink wrapping there are a number of features you should consider. Weight – How heavy is the heat gun? A lighter gun will be more comfortable to hold for extended periods such as required when shrink wrapping. Power – Most propane gas shrink wrapping guns are powerful enough for scaffold shrink wrapping. Although it is tempting to think that more power is better, unless your teams are highly experienced, they may not be able to take advantage of that high power and of course a higher powered gun will use more gas. Some of the most powerful shrink wrapping guns use almost twice the gas of the lowered powered models. Hose length – Try and choose a heat gun with a 10 metre long hose. Case – Choose a heat gun that is supplied with a hard carry case. Spares – Although shrink wrap guns are industrial tools and designed accordingly, they will require maintenance from time to time. Make sure your supplier carries spare parts for the guns they supply and are knowledgeable in basic repairs and maintenance. Can I use an electric heat gun? We are often asked by scaffolders and contractors if they can use an electric heat gun. Well, you can but the low power of the majority of electric heat guns makes them all but impossible to use for large scale shrink wrapping such as the encapsulation and containment of scaffolding. The only electric heat gun of practical use is the Leister Forte S3 but given it requires a 3 phase power supply and is still very slow, (not to mention 4 x the price). Training Everybody knows how to install Monarflex sheeting but using shrink wrap is more of a specialised trade and given that it involves the use of a hot air gun, some training is advisable. The training should of course cover the basic skills such as welding / joining sheets and shrinking the film. However, you might find it more valuable if at least part of the training is on a real life project. One of the great benefits of shrink wrap sheeting is that it is so versatile but that also means it is difficult to provide training for every scenario. Final Thoughts Be wary of any scaffold shrink wrap company who claim to be the manufacturers of the shrink wrap film. The fact is that the machinery required to produce shrink wrap films for scaffold sheeting is huge (and hugely expensive). This means that it is limited to a small number of polythene manufacturers around the world. We are puzzled by this need to pretend they are larger than they are – after all in thousands of industries a middle man is needed to buy in bulk from the manufacturer, hold stock and distribute to customers at their required volume. The distributor also holds the knowledge and expertise regarding the specific application of the product and should be there to provide a level of support that the manufacturer would not be interested in doing. At Rhino we have always been completely transparent about the manufacturer of our film as we have a very long term and well established relationship with them. We think that if a distributor is lying to it’s customers about being the manufacturer, what else are they lying about?
What Is Shrink Wrap Sheeting For Scaffolding?
What Is Scaffold Wrap? Shrink wrap sheeting is typically used as an alternative to conventional scaffold sheeting in order to encapsulate scaffold cladding for the temporary weather protection or containment of construction work. Shrink wrap sheeting is not necessarily right for every construction project but it is typically chosen by scaffolders or contractors who need a more robust scaffold sheeting, that will not detach in strong winds or become loose and saggy over time. Shrink wrap also provides a completely sealed skin around a work area. But, what exactly is shrink wrap and how is different to ‘traditional’ scaffold sheeting? Regular Scaffold Sheeting Traditionally, scaffold sheeting, used for the last 20-30 years to encapsulate scaffold structures, has consisted of individual sheets of reinforced plastic. This sheeting, supplied in rolls, is typically applied in 2-3m high strips around the sides of a scaffolding. The individual sheets overlap each other and are secured using elasticated bungee ties. Although this traditional type of sheeting works well for some applications, the gaps between individual sheets means that it can be difficult to contain dust, water, paint fumes and other pollutants and because it is difficult to fix tightly, over time the sheeting can become loose and has a tendency to flap and detach in windy conditions. Shrink wrap scaffold sheeting Shrink wrap is a strong and durable LDPE plastic cladding, usually supplied as a 7m wide x 15m long sheet which is multi-folded onto a roll weighing around 30Kg for ease of transport and handling. Shrink wrap films used for scaffold encapsulation are typically 300-320 micrometers thick and although it is possible to manufacture scaffold shrink wrap films in any color, they are typically supplied in white or transparent / clear. There are two aspects to shrink wrap that give it the performance characteristics that are beneficial for construction projects; Firstly, when subject to heat the shrink wrap sheeting begins a ‘biaxial’ shrink process, (which means it shrinks in every direction), thus giving a taught covering capable of withstanding the most adverse of weather conditions. Secondly, because sheets of scaffold shrink wrap are joined by heat welding them together, it is possible to create a ‘continuously bonded skin’ over even the largest or most awkwardly shaped scaffolds without the holes or gaps typical of traditional sheeting. Most scaffold shrink wrap films are flame retardant as standard to EN13501 or LPS1207 & LPS1215. Low Maintenance Because scaffold shrink wrap is shrunk ‘drum tight’ it creates an extremely robust cladding that does not flap or ‘self-destruct’ in high winds. This means less going back to repair detached sheeting and more happy clients & repeat business. The ‘shrink to fit’ and ‘heat sealed joints’ characteristics of shrink wrap cladding make it useful for scaffolding projects where full encapsulation is required or where the detachment of scaffold sheets could have serious consequences. Scaffold shrink wrap is manufactured to contain UV inhibitors and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) to prevent it becoming brittle at low temperatures and when used long-term. Versatile As joins between individual sheets of shrink wrap are heat welded to create a sealed and bonded joint, shrink wrap sheeting is ideal for creating highly effective environmental containment or weather protection. Shrink wrap is particularly good at adapting to awkward shapes as it can be cut and heat welded ‘in situ’. Should it be necessary to gain access through the sheeting, such as for craneage, scaffold sheeting can be cut open and resealed to maintain 100% containment. Zipped access doors can be installed to allow access through the sheeting. 100% Recyclable After use, scaffold shrink wrap is easy to remove from the scaffolding. Manufactured from virgin resins it is valued by recycling companies. Typically scaffolding shrink wrap will be recycled in agricultural film
How Much Does Scaffold Shrink Wrap Cost 'Fully Fitted'?
What is the cost to supply and fix shrink wrap sheeting for scaffolding? For scaffolders and contractors, one of the first questions on their mind when looking at scaffold shrink-wrap is; How much does it cost, fully fitted? The answer is…… it depends. If you are looking for a Rhino Shrink Wrap installation team to come to site and carry out scaffolding encapsulation & containment, then we normally give a ‘ballpark’ price of £6-£8 per square meter (+VAT) fully fitted. This rate, which includes the supply of all materials and labor, is sometimes known as the square meter rate. However, every shrink-wrap job is a little different. Let's explore the factors which can affect how much scaffold shrink wrap can cost to fit. Factors which affect the cost of shrink wrap installation What are the dimensions of the area to be shrink wrapped? A large area of scaffolding to be covered in shrink wrap sheeting will usually attract a lower square meter rate / price than a small area. This is because there are extra efficiencies and once on a large job, the work process becomes faster. What is a large area? Well, for us anything over 1000 square meters would be considered a large area. For a job less than 100 square meters, a per meter rate becomes impossible to maintain. For that reason, for a scaffolding encapsulation less than 100 square meters we would charge a day rate of £495/man day rate (minimum of two men). What is the purpose of the proposed shrink wrap? The purpose of the scaffold encapsulation can also make a difference. Is it for weather protection, environmental containment or for the appearance of the sheeting. Although the grade of material we use is the same, a scaffolding project which requires fully encapsulating for the environmental containment of shot blasting, will need to be completely sealed. This ‘final seal’ can involve the installation of a skirt around the bottom of a project to the floor, it may involve sheeting up to and sealing against a wall. This last but essential stage can be time consuming. Is a shrink wrapped temporary roof part of the scope of works? To encapsulate the vertical sides of scaffolding (facades), 7m wide sheets of sheet are hung, clipped, welded. Temporary shrink wrapped roofs are much slower to install than facades. Moving around the roof is slower, safety lines. The roof sheeting needs battening (normally at 2 meter intervals). Roof sheeting is also much more susceptible to delays caused by bad weather. To create an effective joint between two sections of shrink wrap sheeting, the joint must be dry. To shrink properly, wind speeds must be low. What material will be used? Flame retardant shrink wrap is standard on most construction sites but in the UK there are two standards. The essential level is EN13501. However, the LPS scheme is much more thorough. However, this scheme is more expensive to manage and so this sheeting has a cost premium. Where is the job to take place? At Rhino Shrink Wrap we are located in the middle of the UK (between Birmingham and Manchester) which means that we can reach most projects within 3 hours. However, for very distant jobs, then the extra traveling time and accommodation will be factored into the cost. However, we don’t necessarily charge more than £6 per square meter if accommodation is required. However, we find that it is the nature of the jobs that make more difference. Working in London can be costly – parking / congestion zone – getting to the site As an extreme article, we have worked on The Shetlands and this required flights and / or an overnight ferry! How is the work to be accessed? Most shrink wrap jobs are installed from a fully boarded and complete / signed off working scaffolding lift. Sometimes however, typically during the installation of temporary partitions or temporary exterior building screens there is no scaffolding structure. In this case it is possible to work from a scissor lift or cherry picker but this may slow the process down. Is the work to take place indoors or outdoors? Scaffold shrink wrapping indoors will often be less costly than shrink wrapping outdoors. Although we use the same grade of scaffold wrap for indoor or outdoor work (300 microns thick, flame retardant to EN13501), the main reason for indoor work being cheaper this is because the sheeting will not be exposed to wind loadings, the teams can do longer drops. On an external scaffolding, the largest drop is normally 6 meters (3 scaffolding lifts) although in some cases this may be reduced to 4 meters (2 scaffolding lifts). Is it day work or will working at night be required? Employees on night work are generally paid extra…. What is the nature of the site The scaffold shrink wrap price will be affected by the type of site. On a large construction site, such as a bridge, it can take a significant time for the teams to reach the working area. A large site may require cranes to get the materials to the work area, there may be a booking in procedure. What are the costs of offering a scaffold shrink wrap service ‘in house’? If you are looking to carry out the work yourself then the price of fitting scaffold shrink wrap will depend on the following; The cost of the scaffold shrink wrap rolls The ‘signature’ roll size for scaffold wrapping is the Rhino Verisafe® 7 meter wide x 15 meter long scaffold shrink wrap roll. This is 300 micrometers thick and flame retardant to EN13501. These rolls cost £186 each or £145 in pallet quantity. Although each roll contains 105 square meters of scaffold shrinkwrap film, we normally reckon on getting around 90 square meters after allowing for overlaps and any offcuts.
How Do Scaffold Shrink Wrap Prices Compare With Monarflex®?
A frequent question we are asked by scaffolders and contractors who are considering scaffold shrink wrapping is; How does the price of scaffold shrink wrap compare with the price of Monarflex sheeting? Firstly, my apologies, this is quite a long article, written for scaffolders and construction contractors who need detailed information about scaffold sheet pricing and the variables that can affect it. After reading, I hope you will be able to make an informed business decision about which scaffold sheeting to use which will hopefully lead to happy customers and more repeat work for your company. Traditional Scaffold Sheeting Before we dive in, we need to clarify; When we talk about ‘Monarflex’ are we referring to ‘proper’, branded Monarflex® sheeting? or do we just mean generic ‘traditional style scaffold sheeting’? (which can sometimes look similar in appearance to genuine Monarflex®) Although this distinction might seem unimportant, in my experience, many of us in the construction industry often refer to nearly all traditional style scaffold sheeting as Monarflex®, whether it is the real deal or not, and there can be big differences in performance (and significantly for this article – price) between the two products. To make a proper comparison between traditional style sheeting and shrink wrap sheeting for scaffolding we need to make sure we are comparing products of broadly similar performance. To avoid confusion, in this article, when we are refer to Monarflex, we mean genuine Monarflex®, manufactured by the Icopal Group, and when we are referring to all other types of non-Monarflex branded generic scaffold sheeting we will be calling it ‘traditional style scaffold sheeting’. We refer to ‘shrink to fit’ scaffold sheeting, such as Rhino Shrink Wrap or Envirowrap, simply as ‘scaffold shrink wrap’. If you don’t have the time to read this article in full, the quick answer when comparing scaffold shrink wrap and traditional style scaffold sheeting pricing is that if the absolutely lowest price of the sheeting materials is the most important decision factor for you, your project is short term, and you don’t mind what the sheeting looks like or how well it is likely to ‘perform’ in terms of resistance to detachment, then you will certainly be able to find traditional style scaffold sheeting products available for less than the price of shrink wrap sheeting for scaffolding. If however, the appearance of the scaffold sheeting is important to you and your customer, and your project requires high performance from the scaffold sheeting; perhaps detachment of the scaffold sheeting would have serious consequences or you require a high level of encapsulation & environmental containment, or you just want to make your projects stand out from the competition in terms of a smart and professional appearance, then you will probably be looking at choosing between Monarflex® or a shrink wrap sheeting such as Rhino Wrap. In that case the answer to the question ‘How does the price of scaffold shrink wrap compare to the price of Monarflex’ is not quite so clear and will need exploring in more detail. Why? because comparing the prices between Monarflex and shrink wrap depends on a number of factors; It depends on whether you are comparing the price of a ‘high grade’ wind tunnel tested flame retardant scaffold sheeting such as Monarflex Super T Plus Firesmart with high grade ‘Anchor & Tie’ fixings with scaffold shrink wrap sheeting or whether you are comparing the price of a roll of non flame retardant Monarflex scaffband scaffold sheeting attached to the scaffolding with standard bungee ties. The right product selection depends on the wind loadings you need the sheeting to be able to withstand, how long you want the sheeting to remain up for, and of course what your customer is willing to pay for. As we shall see in this article, shrink wrap can look more expensive than Monarflex® and traditional style scaffold sheeting until you compare products on a ‘like for like’ basis – i.e. you need to compare a scaffold shrink wrap with a traditional scaffold sheeting product with similar performance characteristics. The answer to the price comparison question also depends on what you need the scaffold sheeting to do – is it for a temporary roof covering? temporary weather protection to a scaffolding facade? or to provide full environmental containment around a bridge for blasting and painting operations? Finally, and as we shall see, perhaps most importantly, the answer to the price comparison question between traditional style scaffold sheeting and scaffold shrink wrap depends on whether you are looking just at the cost of the scaffold sheeting and the labor to fit it, or whether you factor in the costs of maintaining and repairing the sheeting, and the costs of any delays caused by detached scaffold sheeting. Because of the size of this article,we have split it into two parts. Part 1 looks at three ‘basic’ areas to consider when considering Monarflex pricing ‘v’ scaffold shrink wrap sheeting pricing. These are; The price of the scaffold sheeting materials. The price of labor to fit the scaffold sheeting. The price to remove the scaffold sheeting once the project is finished. Part 2 of this article explores other costs, perhaps not so obvious, but which can be, in my experience, quite common in the scaffolding and construction industry. These are; The price of maintaining / repairing the scaffold sheeting over the lifetime of the project. The price of standing workers down from a construction site where sheeting has become detached. Fines and charges from environmental contamination. Monarflex Sheeting Price First up, lets take a look at ‘Monarflex’. We have chosen to compare scaffold shrink wrap pricing with Monarflex due the dominance of Icopal’s ubiquitous product in the market. However, there are other brands / manufacturers in the UK including ‘Powerclad’ by ITP and Power Plastics plus sheeting that is imported into the UK from manufacturers worldwide. for many scaffolders and for many projects, Monarflex is a great product with which to create temporary weather protection or containment As specialists in shrink wrap sheeting for scaffolding you might expect us to be a bit biased but we think that for many scaffolders and for many projects, Monarflex sheeting is a great product with which to create temporary weather protection or containment. Furthermore, it is widely available and every scaffolder knows roughly how to fit it. However, the first challenge when comparing the price of shrink wrap sheeting and Monarflex is which ‘grade’ of Monarflex do you choose to compare? A glance at the UK website for Monarflex reveals many different types of scaffold sheeting including IcoScaff, Scaffband, Stripe and Super T Plus available in regular and flame retardant versions. The second problem in determining the price is finding suppliers and distributors of Monarflex who are upfront about their pricing. It appears that in this ‘information age’, many suppliers of scaffold sheet are quite reluctant to give pricing information on their website! However, from conducting an online price search in August 2019 for scaffold sheeting we found Monarflex’s top of the range Super T sheeting Flamesafe 45m x 3m supplied by Arco here. at £740.57 / roll. At the other end of the scale, Leach’s list a non flame retardant, 180 grams per square metre, 2 metre x 45 metre traditional style scaffold sheeting here for just £49.00! *All Exc VAT. Don’t forget the ties! This is another area where calculating the true costs of traditional scaffold sheeting can be confusing. Ties are supplied in different strengths and whilst minimum spacing for ties should be one tie every square metre, in practice, more ties are used than this. Leach’s list Monarflex’s flagship ‘Anchor & Straps’ fixings as £51 for a pack of 100 ties here. In contrast, Leach’s also list their bungee type scaffold sheeting toggle ties for as little as £23.50 here for a pack of 100. * All Exc VAT. Don’t forget….Monarflex type sheeting is re-usable……isn’t it? Some scaffolders believe that Monarflex works out much cheaper than shrinkwrap for scaffolding because it is re-usable. We agree, if the Monarflex type sheeting has only been installed for a relatively short period of time, and the bungee ties have not been stretched beyond use, then a scaffolder can send his team in to remove and fold the sheet for another job. In practice, we find this rarely happens, either because the sheeting and ties has become worn out or it simply costs more in labour to have scaffolders carefully remove and fold sheeting, bring back to the yard and store for reuse, than it does to dispose in a convenient on site skip and purchase new rolls for the next job. Now, lets take a look at the shrink wrap sheeting for scaffolding pricing. Scaffold Shrink Wrap Price Although scaffold shrink wrap sheeting can be supplied in widths up to 16 meters, it is usually supplied as a 7 meter wide x 15 meter long roll (folded 4 times to allow for easier transport). The typical price from suppliers is £176/roll for quantities up to 30 rolls and £156/roll for quantities over 30 rolls. Why 30 rolls? Well, 30 rolls is equivalent to around 1000 Kg or 1 x full pallet. Shrink wrap sheeting is generally supplied in white, 300 microns thickness and flame retardant to EN13501 as standard. Shrink wrap sheeting is not tied to the scaffold sheeting using bungee ties but it is secured to the scaffolding by wrapping around a scaffold tube and then heat welding the wrap back onto itself using a shrink wrapping heat tool. Rather than covering a scaffolding on a lift by lift basis, a sheet of shrink wrap will typically be dropped 3 lifts (around 6 meters). Once it has been secured to the scaffolding and any overlapping sheets have been heat welded together, the entire sheeting is heat shrunk ‘drum tight’, to create a completely sealed skin around the scaffolding. Price of scaffold sheeting materials – A summary From our conversations with scaffolders and contractors, it seems that a typical / realistic price for a roll of ‘mid-range’, flame retardant Monarflex® brand scaffold sheet (such as Scaffband FR) is £204.97 for a 2m wide x 45m long roll (90 square meters) from Arco here which is equivalent to £2.27 / m2. Meanwhile flame retardant shrink wrap scaffold sheeting may be priced at up to £176 here for a 7m wide x 15m long roll (105 square meters) which is equivalent to £1.68 / m2. What other factors might you want to consider for an accurate price comparison? Read on to find out more. Cost Of Labour To Fit Installing a Zipped Access Door The cost of labor to fit Monarflex® or traditional style scaffold sheeting can be calculated fairly accurately. Generally, a scaffolder can install up to 300 square meters per man per day. Based on a labor cost of £150 / day, the cost of installing traditional style scaffold sheeting is 50 pence per square meter. Although it will be easier to fit if the scaffolding is flush, as traditional style sheeting is hung on a ‘lift by lift’ basis, tubes will protrude through the sheathing at the points where the sheets overlap. It won’t be pretty and it won’t provide very effective containment of dust and debris but it does not affect the labor costs too much. However, with the installation of shrink wrap sheeting, the set up of the scaffolding structure can have a major effect on the rate of installation. If a scaffolding structure is flush, (or even better a system scaffolding), and consists of long straight runs, it can be quite possible to install over 200 square meters per man per day. If the scaffolding is not flush, the shrink wrap installer will have to cut the shrinkwrap around protruding scaffold tubes and re-seal the sheeting using the hot air gun. Depending on the level of weather protection or containment required, the installer may have to go back and tape around those protrusions to try and create the required seal. Similarly, if the shrink wrap sheeting is being used as a temporary roof covering, then this type of installation will take longer and the installation rate may drop to around 100 square meters per man per day. Poor weather may also impact negatively on the installation rate of scaffold shrink wrap compared with traditional style scaffold sheeting. Windy conditions can make it difficult to shrink the sheeting ‘drum tight’ and it can be difficult to make the most effective heat sealed joint between sheets in very wet conditions. One final note on labor costs for installing shrink wrap scaffold sheeting. Whilst every scaffolder knows how to fix traditional style scaffold sheeting, scaffold shrink wrapping is more of a specialized trade. Whilst learning how to shrink wrap is not ‘rocket science’, a shrink wrap installation team will have required some training and if this is your first ever job then this extra cost of training needs to be considered. (Of course, you could avoid this by using a specialist shrink wrap installer.) Cost of labour – summary Monarflex can be installed at rates up to 300 square meters per man per day, which works out around 50 pence per square meter assuming a labor rate of £150 / man / day. We normally estimate that an experienced shrink wrap contractor should be able to install up to 200 square meters of sheeting per man per day. Based on a labor cost of £150 / man per day this means that shrink wrap will cost more to fit than Monarflex, on average around 75 pence per square meter. Cost To Remove Scaffold Sheeting? This is never going to be a deciding factor in the Monarflex ‘v’ shrink wrap pricing debate but for the sake of completeness it is interesting to compare the cost of removing traditional style scaffold sheeting versus the cost of removing shrink wrap scaffold sheeting once the project is complete. To remove traditional style scaffold sheeting, the ‘bungees’ have to be untied from the scaffolding one by one. If the sheeting is to be reused or recycled then the bungees will also have to be removed from the sheeting one by one. Scaffold shrink wrap sheeting is much faster to remove. By cutting parallel to the scaffold tube at each point where the scaffold shrink wrap has been welded around the scaffold tube along the weld We normally estimate that one man should be able to remove, bale and load into a van about 300 square meters of shrink wrap sheeting per day. You can view a video of the shrink wrap removal process here. Instead of unclipping and removing individual tin sheets, the shrink wrap can be cut off in sections, and bundled for recycling. Cost To Remove Scaffold Sheeting – Summary Making a repair to shrink wrap sheeting In part 1 of this article we have examined the upfront costs of creating temporary weather protection or environmental containment, namely; The cost of the scaffold sheeting materials, the cost of labor to fit the sheeting and the cost to remove the scaffold sheeting once the project is complete. Taking these basic costs into account, it seems that on first look, scaffold shrink wrap sheeting is in many cases going to be a higher price than Monarflex. This begs the question; so why is shrink wrap sheeting on so many jobs, particularly larger and more ‘demanding’ projects? I think the answer is; There is not a significant price difference between Monarflex and shrink wrap when they are compared on a ‘like for like’ basis in terms of resistance to detachment in high winds. There are other ‘costs’ surrounding the sheathing of a scaffolding structure which are not always so obvious, but can be significant. Part 2 of this article explores these ‘hidden’ costs and misconceptions about scaffold sheeting in more detail. The Hidden Costs Of Scaffold Sheeting The cost of maintenance and repairs The cost of maintenance / repairs One of the chief ‘hidden costs’ of traditional style scaffold sheeting is the cost of maintenance and repairs over the life of the project. Now, I am not saying that shrink wrap scaffold sheeting will withstand all wind speeds or that traditional style scaffold sheeting will blow off and detach at the first gust of wind but detached scaffold sheeting is obviously a problem for both scaffolders and contractors. For the scaffolder, damaged scaffold sheeting is a problem because they have to go back and fix it. Scaffolders have told us that they have been back to some projects 3-4 times to re-attach failed scaffold sheeting. This means pulling their teams from other jobs, and buying more sheeting to replace what has been damaged…..and they have an unhappy customer (the contractor). This is not reflected in the upfront price of the sheeting materials but it is reflected in the total cost of the job. If you are using ‘traditional’ scaffold sheeting, one way of reducing the possibility of scaffold sheeting blowing off is to use the highest grade products and tie system available. In the case of Monarflex, their ‘Super T Plus’ scaffold sheeting has been wind tunnel tested to high wind speeds when used in conjunction with their ‘Anchor & Strap’ system. However, as we have already seen, this product carries a significant price premium compared with other Monarflex products. Rhino Sheeting has been tested in some of the most extreme locations worldwide such as the Lerwick Town Hall on the Shetland Islands where wind speeds regularly exceed 80+mph. We can see from the quick comparison here that Monarflex sheeting looks cheaper than scaffold shrink wrap until we compare a traditional style scaffold sheet of equal strength with scaffold shrink wrap. Then, it is surprisingly close, Super T Plus Flamesafe works out at £740.57 for a 3m x 45m roll from Arco here which is the equivalent to £5.48 per square meter without allowing for ties which from Arco are 7 pence each (as of time of writing). So traditional style scaffold sheeting looks to be a much closer price than scaffold shrink wrap sheeting but these lower price products such as Monarflex stripe or scaffband ranges are only recommended for use on shorter term projects that are not exposed to a high wind risk. If you compare a ‘like for like’ product, designed to withstand similarly high wind speeds, such as Monarflex Super T Plus then actually shrink wrap sheeting may be a lower price option. One of the handy aspects of scaffold shrink wrap sheeting is that should the worst happen, any local damage to the sheeting can be patched and sealed using an additional sheet. This is done by taking a patch of shrink wrap sheeting and applying it over the damaged area, so that it overlaps the damaged area by at least 30 cm. After temporarily holding the patch into position with 1-2 pieces of tape, the installer then uses the shrink wrapping heat gun to heat weld the patch to the original sheeting. Done properly, this patch and joint should be as strong as the original sheeting. The cost of standing workers down If workers are stood down because of bad weather, or because the scaffold sheeting has become damaged and the working area is not safe then this can be costly and bad for the reputation of the companies involved (and the sanity of the site managers and project managers involved). In addition, main contractors typically face fines if a project overruns and so a rugged and reliable sheeting can act as a kind of ‘insurance’ against this event. Fines and charges from environmental contamination One type of project where shrinkwrap scaffold sheeting is often found is to provide ‘full encapsulation’ around the blasting and painting of bridges. With this type of job, the scaffold sheeting is required to provide complete environmental containment of blast media and the paint residues which often contain lead and other toxic materials. Once contained, the toxic materials are removed and disposed of. The shrink wrap scaffold sheeting also allows for a controlled environment during the painting and curing stage. Shrink wrap sheeting is used for these projects for three reasons; 1) A film size of up to 16 metres wide allows for a covering with far fewer joints between sheets than traditional scaffold sheeting which tends to be only 2-3 meters wide max. Where sheets of shrink wrap sheeting need to be joined, they are overlapped by approximately 30 cm and heat welded together using a small hand held propane gas powered shrink wrapping gun. It is much easier to create a ‘final seal’ around a scaffolding with shrink wrap sheeting. Bridges are often in exposed locations, and subject to high wind loadings. Failure of the scaffold sheeting could mean a release of toxic material into the environment (bridges are normally over a water course of some kind). Whilst traditional scaffold sheeting can be used for environmental containment, sheets are typically just overlapped, and not sealed. Adhesive tapes can be used to seal joints but this is not ideal as it is time consuming and the adhesive strength of tapes can be very variable according to temperature, humidity and the cleanliness of the sheet. For the larger construction projects, or industrial projects shrink wrap is used for these very reasons. Although the initial costs may be slightly higher for shrink wrapping, the ongoing maintenance will be less and the risk of delays or overruns is minimized. Summary What I have hoped to show in this article is this; It is not that scaffold shrinkwrap is ‘good’ or traditional style scaffold sheeting is ‘bad’ but that we need to take more factors into account when calculating the true cost of each product than the basic material price of each product. Both traditional style scaffold sheeting such as Monarflex® and shrink wrap sheeting have advantages and disadvantages, it depends on what you need them to achieve. For a contractor who needs a fairly short term, basic level of weather protection then traditional style scaffold sheeting is a low cost, ‘cheap and cheerful’ solution. Traditional style scaffold sheeting can be bought for as little as £35 / roll which works out at just 38 pence per square meter! However, there is no way that this product is going to provide long term or storm proof temporary weather protection or effective environmental containment. To get a traditional scaffold sheeting product that has the same level of performance as shrink wrap sheeting then it is highly likely that it is going to cost the same or more than shrink wrap sheeting. However, although it is quite understandable that scaffolders and contractors looking at shrink wrapping for the first time might want to do it, it is actually a bit pointless and quite difficult to compare pricing between two very different products. Shrink wrap scaffold sheeting is not designed or developed to be the cheapest product on the market; every project that utilizes shrink wrap does so for the extra performance and different benefits it provides, compared to traditional style scaffold sheeting. And that really is the point of this article, if you need the extra benefits of strength, or improved final seal, then you are likely to have a project where the costs of failure or something going wrong exceeds the slight extra cost of purchasing and installing shrink wrap sheeting for scaffolding. Scaffold shrink wrap products, such as Rhino Shrink Wrap are not a good ‘fit’ for every project but should be considered for those where the costs of failure are more important than the price of the sheeting.